How 50 Food & Beverage Manufacturing Facilities Improved Profitability By Reducing Food Loss

One third of food produced is presently wasted. And if food loss were a country, food loss would be the third largest GHG emitter (after USA & China). However, even if we succeeded at diverting 100% of this food from landfill, one third of food would still be wasted and it would remain the third largest GHG emitter.

Enviro-Stewards and Provision Coalition completed a pilot food loss prevention assessment for Campbell Soup that identified practical measures to prevent $706,000/yr of food loss. This project was selected as the top clean capital project in Canada. Subsequently, the Walmart Foundation provided project funding to The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity to further demonstrate prevention opportunities at 50 food & beverage manufacturing facilities across Canada. The facilities assessed by Enviro-Stewards for this project included bakeries, dairies, breweries, vegetable processors, meat processors, seafood companies, among others.

The 50 assessments averaged $230,000/yr of savings per facility with less than one year payback period. This presentation outlines Enviro-Stewards’ project approach used to identify and quantify these savings as well as illustrations (with case studies) of practical measures implemented to secure the economic, social and environmental benefits available through food loss prevention.